Sagging Floors: Causes And Cures

Older houses often have many charming features

, but sagging floors do not fall into the "charming" category. While slight departures from flat and level are acceptable, more serious sags cause furniture to wobble and steps to be taken with extra care. At some point, homeowners need to make sure that sagging floors aren't a signal of structural issues that threaten their safety. It may be time to call in a foundation repair specialist. Here's a brief summary of what can cause sagging floors, and how these problems can be corrected.

- Undersized framing. Before building codes were in effect or in areas where building inspections weren't performed, carpenters often made educated guesses about the size and spacing of joists and beams. If smaller dimension lumber was used (to save money or perhaps because larger sizes weren't available), it's not surprising to have a floor or roof sag over time. When floors are sagging because of undersized framing, they often have another symptom: excessive spring or bounciness. Cure: One or more intermediate support beams (see below) can be installed to remove some or all of the sag and provide extra support. Alternatively, the floor can be jacked back to level with temporary supports and new, larger-dimension joists can be installed alongside the undersized originals.

- Intermediate support problems. When floor joists have to span a long distance, they're often supported close to mid-span by a carrying beam. But what happens if the builder decides to eliminate the beam, or if the carrying beam itself isn't adequately sized or supported? Answer: sagging floors. Cure: Install one or more intermediate support beams or correct problems with the original beams.

- Rotted sills or beams. If moisture gets into the framing and this wood remains wet, it can eventually rot and collapse. When this happens, floor areas above and around the rotted framing often sag. While this rot is most likely to occur around the perimeter of the house, it can happen anywhere if there's a steady water leak. Insect-damaged framing is an associated problem. Wood is more likely to attract termites and carpenter ants if it's wet, and an insect infestation also weakens the wood. Cure: Jack up the area around the damaged framing and replace the rotted wood with new material. Make sure to stop the leak.

- Damaged foundation walls. Since the foundation is the base supporting the house frame, it can't shift, settle or crumble without having a noticeable effect on floors and walls. A foundation can fail for numerous reasons, including poor-quality concrete, inadequate reinforcement, and surrounding soil that shifts, settles or expands. Cure: Protect and correct the house framing with temporary supports, then have a Toronto foundation repair specialist fix the damaged foundation.

by: John Smith

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